Loki Brings 3D Sound to 3D Vision

For Linux gamers, the better it gets, the better it must
become. As 3D gaming has opened up increasingly for Linux, what has
lagged behind the eye-popping visual element is similarly
ear-bending audio. Because the audio libraries for Macintosh and
Windows games are both proprietary (closed-source) and incompatible
with the Linux operating system, opportunities for state-of-the-art
3D sound for Linux-native and Linux-ported games were scarce. In
fact, Loki noted in a press statement that before OpenAL, the
initiative the company is spear-heading, there was no standard
3D-audio implementation available for Linux. Thus, the decision to
develop an audio API that is both cross-platform and open source is
a significant breakthrough for all gamers.

"OpenAL represents a milestone for Linux and for the game
industry in general," said Mr. Draeker. "Until now, games running
on Linux have not had access to the advanced 3D-Audio features
available on other platforms. OpenAL provides those advanced
features with an open source, non-proprietary implementation which
is available not just for Linux, but for Windows and MacOS games as
well."

What good is 3D-Audio? Most basically, 3D-Audio increases the
level of realism in any game, with specialized sound effects such
as distance and direction attenuation, as well as panning and
reverb effects. But, as Mr. Draeker points out, the benefits of
3D-Audio extend beyond the world of computer gaming. "For example,"
he notes, "an architectural program might allow you to walk through
a new building. OpenAL would allow the walk-through to be audible,
not just visual. So you would get a sense of the acoustics of the
building. You'll be able to tell whether sound from the downstairs
TV is going to reflect loudly into an upstairs bedroom and hear the
acoustical difference between using carpet and tile in a
hallway."

Creative
Technology is one of the companies that has joined Loki
Entertainment in launching the OpenAL initiative. The company has
said it plans to release Linux drivers that will not only work with
OpenAL, but will natively support the advanced audio effects made
possible through OpenAL. Said Creative's Director of the Custom
Engineering division Jacob Hawley, "This API will help content
developers provide robust applications on Linux and other leading
platforms, opening new markets for hardware vendors such as
Creative in the process."

Corel Corporation
is the third member of the OpenAL creation and authoring committee,
and the company is looking to include OpenAL as a standard
component of Corel Linux. This step would be the necessary
"lowering of the bar" for users who simply want to buy a
prepackaged distribution, install it and go, without having to
worry about configuring or compiling the software.

Loki says OpenAL is already being incorporated into what it
calls its line of "AAA Linux games". The Linux version of
Activision's Heavy Gear II, for example, will be released this
month. It is the first Linux game to support 3D-Audio using
OpenAL.

Says Mr. Draeker, "OpenAL completes the list of tools needed
to play games on Linux. There will continue to be improvements, but
the feature set is now more or less complete. Developing games for
Linux requires additional tools which aren't yet available for
Linux, like 3D animation packages. Such content creation tools are
the next step, and OpenAL is already opening those doors."

The source code for OpenAL for Linux, Macintosh and Windows
is available for download and is being offered under the GNU
Library Public License (LGPL). More details are available at
http://www.openal.org.